Number:
Odd and Even Investigation
Y3 & Y4 investigated calculations with odd and even numbers.
What happens when you add the numbers 4 + 2 = ? is the answer odd or even, does
this work for every pair of even numbers? Is it always true?
Then they explored all combinations for adding, subtracting, multiplication and
dividing odd and even numbers.
Exploring Multiplication Arrays
Pupils in Y3 were given a multiplication question to answer using an array, with
counters. Then they were challenged to think if the counters could be arranged
differently, to get the same answer.
Some children were challenged to find numbers (up to 50) that could be arranged in
rows in more than 2 ways.
They were encouraged to work systematically and cooperatively in groups of 3 using
sugar paper.
Organising Warriors in arrays
Y4 linked their maths problem solving to their invaders and settlers topic.
Pupils became Army Generals and had an army of Saxons, Celts, Vikings, and Romans
to organise in battle formations.
Some children were challenged to organise tricky amounts of soldiers that caused
remainders when they were organised in rows.
Money: Giving pupils a budget to stick to.
Y3 & Y4 children were given a picture sheet with objects and prices and they had to
explore combinations of objects they could buy, whilst staying within a set budget.
Boys created their own football kits; girls designed their own fashion look with
clothes and accessories. Some children had to create a party bag, and explore
different combinations of objects.
Investigation Stations
In Y4, 3 times a year, children work in groups of 4 and rotate around a range of
problem solving activities.
Smartboard interactive games
Fishing ducks from a paddling pool, they have numbers underneath – then pupils use
the numbers to complete mental maths questions.
IPADs – playing maths games,
The Towers of Hanoi
Target number – with dice
Rock, paper, scissors, times tables
Shape:
Shape detectives using Geo Boards, elastic / string, ‘What am I?’ cards
Y3 & Y4 children become shape detectives and were given clues stating properties
of shapes.
Some children worked with a TA to follow the property clues and create the shape
with string.
Other children were given trick clues that were impossible to create a shape and
had to try and make them on the geoboard. If they discovered a shape that was
impossible, they had to explain WHY it was.
Area and Perimeter:
Christmas Wrapping Paper Challenge
Santa was on a mission to save paper and so told his elves to wrap presents using the
smallest area of wrapping paper.
Then Y6 & Y4 children became the Elves and wrapped a DVD using the smallest
possible area of paper.
Using Geoboards, how many different shapes can be created with a set perimeter?
Year 4 had to use elastic bands on the plastic Geoboards to find as many possible
shapes as they could with a perimeter of 20 units.
3d Cube, Cuboid men
Y3 and Y4 explored nets and the faces that came together to design a cube man.
Children were given a blank net of a cuboid and a cube and had to fold it up and work
out where they should draw the front, back, side of the cube man. Cuboid = arms,
tummy and back. Cube = face, ears on the side, hair on the back and top.
Measure:
Ordering weights using different resources
Y3 children had a range of food items that had their weights covered.
Using only their hands pupils had to compare and order the weights from lightest to
heaviest.
Then pupils felt the key weights in their hands 1kg, 100g, 10g etc. They then tried
to estimate the weight of each food item.
After they used the balancing scales to compare the weights of each item and check
they had ordered them correctly.
Checking supermarkets aren’t ripping us off in Year 3
Y3 pupils were challenged to question and investigate the honesty of supermarket
weight labels.
Therefore pupils had to develop their reading scales skills – had to be super
accurate to take on TESCOS etc.
Pupils were then given a range of weighing scales with different scales to weigh
each object accurately.
Creating and Investigating Salt Dough in Year 4
Pupils had to follow differentiated recipes to make salt dough by weighing the
ingredients accurately
The pupils had to create balls of salt dough weighing exactly 100g, they could use
the measuring scales.
Then pupils had to use their blob of 100g to help them create other balls of salt
dough weighing set amounts without using the scales.
They were then encouraged to double and half the balls of salt dough to sensibly
estimate and create other weights. E.g 75g could be created by halving the 100g,
then halving again and adding back together – 75g is ¾.
Capacity: Rainbow Water
Y3 used this when working on capacity. Children were given bottles of different
coloured water (using food colouring) and measuring jugs. They were given
different measurements and used the jugs to create the Rainbow Water.
They had to be accurate with their use of the measuring the jugs and keep a close
eye on scale that the jug used, otherwise their rainbow water could end up brown.
Ratio and Proportion
Y3/4 Giant’s Finger and Y5/Y6 Giant Handprint
Year 4 linked their learning about place value, x10, x100, ÷10, ÷100 to creating a
sugar paper finger from a giant that is 10 times bigger, 100 times bigger than their
own.
First pupils had to accurately measure their own finger with a ruler.
Then, multiply the measurements by 10 or 100 and recreate the finger on sugar
paper.
This through up issues with multiplying decimals by ten and converting between
mixed measures, mm and cm.
Year 5 and 6 had used a more enquiring approach.
Children were given an actual giant’s handprint
Had to spot the relationship between their own hand and the giant’s hand.
Then they used the relationship, to create the rest of the giant, from sugar paper,
that the hand belonged too.
Fractions:
Chocolate: Which would you rather have?
Y6 teachers set up three plates of chocolate in their class, each containing a
different amount of chocolate pieces.
In turn, each child had to choose to stand by one of the chocolate plates.
When everyone has chosen a plate to stand by, the chocolate pieces would be
shared. So if 8 children were by the plate, each would get 1/8 of the chocolate.
As the lesson progressed, the children should work out the fraction of chocolate
they would get. ½ of 24, 1/3 of 24 etc…
Completing the fraction
Y5 pupils were given a ¼ of a shape / picture and they had to complete the picture.
Percentage Sale Investigation:
Y5 teachers created a shop in each of their classes. Mrs Le Cap was a baker selling
discounted cakes and Mr Hartnell had a sweet shop selling cut price sweets.
The children could move freely between the two classrooms, but they were on a
mission to find the best bargains.
Time:
Building a Nature Clock
Y3 children were challenged to build a clock. They could use anything they could find
in playground / tree area to construct it (but they must be able to move the hands)
Space:
Co-ordinate Easter Egg hunt
Letters were placed on the playgrounds grids, Y3 children were given a list of coordinates which corresponded to letters.
They had to find and spell word. E.g ‘Easter Bunny’
Investigating Parallel Lines
Y4 were challenged to paint a pair of parallel lines FREEHAND! Once they had finished,
they had to investigate how accurate they had been.